


Say Yes

by afangirlsplaylist



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: M/M, blood oath, dream - Freeform, ghost of the past present and future, mention of blood and injury, rhink, rhink friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 09:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11101305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afangirlsplaylist/pseuds/afangirlsplaylist
Summary: Rhink thinks film school is his and Link’s future - until he is given a vision of just how wrong he is.





	Say Yes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mythicalseries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythicalseries/gifts).



> Written as a giveaway fic for @mythicalseries, based on their prompt: ‘a "ghosts of past, present and future" kind of situation after R and L get into a big fight’ I took this to a slightly different place than you were thinking of though I’m sorry.

No matter how much he wished he could Rhett wasn’t able to remember his dreams very often. Most of the time they got left behind on his pillow when he got up, and the ones he did remember were mind numbingly normal. He spent most nights desperately trying to conjure up an image of blondor, dragons, or the beach, only to get stuck dreaming about something mundane like filming. 

So he wasn’t sure what was different about this one. Maybe it was because he'd had Link on his mind all day - since he’d been arguing with his dad about film school till he’d exhausted himself. Or it might’ve been because he’d collapsed onto his bed with his throat hoarse from yelling and his emotions running high. Whatever it was, something about the night made his dream feel more real than anything he felt when he was awake. 

Where-ever he was in this dream made no sense. The dim light felt like an empty hall or unlit stage, but the humming of distant voices and a soft tinkling sound reminded him of a forest or a creek. Yet he couldn’t place any of the voices or see any running water - only the broad back of his friend standing a couple of feet in front of him. 

It was Link but it wasn't Link. He was wearing a pair of turtle shell glasses and even though Rhett knew his Link was several months younger than him this man looked like he'd been out of college for at least a decade. He figured this version of his friend must be doing well for himself - judging from the stylish sweeping up-do, the red and grey mix pattern suit, and the shiny Rolex draped on his wrist. He looked the picture of happiness, wealth and success, making Rhett’s mouth fall open a little in impressed shock.

This Link didn’t even glance his way when he went to stand beside him, so Rhett almost jumped when he spoke. 

"You talk to your dad about film school today?” The older Link asked.

Rhett couldn’t even acknowledge the question, too busy staring at Link as if he had been asked to play spot the difference. “Link?” 

“Not your Link. Not yet.” The older Link said with a smile.

Rhett found the answer rather ominous but unfortunately Link didn’t care to elaborate any further. "Film school - you talked to him?" Link asked again. 

 _I don't know, why the heck do you want to talk to me about that when you’re from the freaking future or something?_  Rhett desperately wanted to say, but instead he said. "Yeah, I'm talking him into letting me go with you. Or... other you."

“Don’t.” Link said harshly.

Rhett had never heard his Link talk to him with a tone of authority like that in his life. He wanted to ask what was so wrong with film school, but for a second time the words wouldn't come out. “Why?”

Instead of answering Link stared off into the distance - where one of the humming voices was growing louder. “That’s why.”  

The approaching voice was quickly joined by a small body - no older than nine, storming up to them and clutching a piece of paper in his hand. If Rhett had any doubts about what it was they were erased when he noticed the blood dripping from the palm of the younger Link. It was a deep slice, but Rhett was more alarmed by the tears falling from his face.

“Why would you forget about this?” The younger Link accused, holding up the paper as his voice rang with anger and disappointment. "We made a pact old man."

"I..." Rhett couldn't finish his words, too stunned by the raging young Link in his face. All he could do was gawk at the boy’s split palm and the living, breathing blast from the past standing before him.

"You nothing." Young Link spat, throwing the paper into the dirt and mashing it in with the toe of his soccer shoes. "Go to the damn film school for all I care."

Rhett looked to the adult Link for help but the young Link ran off into the darkness before he could say anything more - leaving him to gingerly pick up what was left of the paper.

"Give it up." Adult Link suggested. "It's gone even in my time."

Seeing as the words were barely legible and the thing was caked in dirt Rhett reluctantly cast it aside, where it quickly sunk into the dirt again. Even without the paper in his hand he could still feel it shaking, stunned by the level of hatred he’d seen in the little Link’s eyes when he looked at him. 

He turned to the adult Link beside him for some kind of comfort, feeling the need to defend himself.

"It was what you wanted." Rhett said, shaking his head in confusion. "I mean it's what my Link wants." He corrected.

"It was.” Adult Link spoke up. “But you don’t realize you're hurting him a lot more by going to film school. It ain't supposed to happen."

"Then what is supposed to happen?" Rhett asked, starting to feel peeved.

As if a spotlight had fallen on a piece of stage Rhett hadn't noticed before, his attention was caught by a preteen girl playing in the corner. She had a pretty face, long blonde hair, and a laugh that rang out just like Link’s.

“She’s beautiful.” Rhett commented, a strange sensation in his gut telling him who she was. “Yours?”

A wide smile stretched across Link’s face as his gaze followed her. “She is.” He said proudly. “Just like her mom.”

“Her mom, huh?” Rhett teased, the weirdness of the dream temporarily forgotten. “When do I get to meet her? She treat you right?"

The smile dropped from Link’s face and he went suddenly serious again. "You don’t. Not if you don’t say yes to your dad and let me follow you. You know if you don't I’ll just end up whenever you’re going, and her mom won’t exist in my life."

He turned back to his daughter as if to prove a point. "Neither will she.” He added, before nodding his head in the direction of two boys Rhett hadn’t noticed. “Or them.”

Rhett’s eyes followed Link’s gesture and he spotted the tell-tale shaggy Neal hair on the heads of the two boys, although they had softer facial features that had to come from their mother. He'd just opened his mouth to speak before Link beat him to it.

“Lincoln and Lando.” Link answered his question for him.

“Gave him the family name, huh?” Rhett said in amusement. "What's with Lando?"

"Star Wars character. Don't ask." Link ordered.

Rhett snorted with laughter. "You ain't gunna change a bit man."

Link’s face couldn’t help betraying a smile. "I'm beginning to think you haven't either." 

Rhett resisted the urge to swat him with his hand before he was distracted by the sound of more children running over to join the others.

"They're yours." Link told him, and Rhett's head spun around so fast he rubbed at his neck to make sure he hadn't got whiplash.

"They're what?"

"They're yours." Link repeated patiently.

He should’ve been able to see the other two children as easily as he’d seen Link’s, but no matter how hard Rhett squinted he couldn't quite make out their faces. It was like someone had taken a sharpie and blacked out their faces in his mind, before muting the audio of their voices while they were at it. 

“I don’t even get to know what they look like?” Rhett complained.

"You don't get them at all unless you say yes to your dad.” Link told him. 

Rhett swallowed hard, already scrapping the idea of film school as his heart beat for the two nameless, faceless, boys that were meant to be his. Nothing that meant losing any of this could be worth trying, but part of him still wanted to know that something would’ve stayed the same - that there was one small unwavering part of him that could survive the upheaval. 

"I’d have you at least right?" Rhett asked, nudging his older friend as if he already knew the answer. Link didn't nudge back.

“You’d lose me in two years.” Link said bluntly, watching as Rhett’s smile fell.

“Says who?” Rhett pressed. “What about the oath?

Link mouth went tight as he stared down at the remnants of the oath on the ground with tired, sympathetic eyes. “Even blood oaths have their limits man. I’d only be happy for so long in film school before I wanted something else. We'd just.... lose touch.”

"That's bullshit." Rhett growled, angrier more at the idea of letting that happen than anything else.

"Hey I agree." Link told him, holding up his hand's defensively. "But it happens."

Rhett thought back to the present Link, sleeping soundly on the floor by his bed with no worry of them ever going separate ways. It was then he realised he hadn't given any thought to who would be in HIS bed.

"And my wife? I'm assuming if your married I'm married too." Rhett asked.

"Yeah you are." Link told him, rolling his eyes a little. "Don't flatter yourself I got married first."

"Is she good looking?" Rhett pried harder, once again trying to get a look at the faces of his boys in the distance. Link took a moment to answer, giving Jessie some thought.

"Your wife's hot I guess." He shrugged.

"Hey!" Rhett yelled, indignant.

"Well she is!" Link countered, losing a touch of his cool mystique. "She ain't yours yet dude."

Rhett looked like he wanted to chew him out further but he bit his tongue in favour of getting more questions answered while he still could. "Is she older or younger?"

Link thought carefully about his answer. "She's a little younger but don't give up on her." He advised. "And you should probably think about growing a beard when you're a little older. She likes it."

"Yeah that's right." Rhett said smugly, stroking his currently smooth jaw and imagining a thick beard coating it.

Link just groaned. “You’re even worse at this age. I forgot."

Before Rhett could ask him what he meant by that Link started walking off in the direction of the children. It wasn’t until then that he noticed those bright, childish voices were getting quieter by the second, and panic took over as he remembered one thing he hadn’t asked about.

"What's it like?" Rhett called after him, practically screaming as he felt the dream starting to fade around him. "What we do?"

By the time Link had an answer for him it was almost too late, but he stopped and turned around quick enough for Rhett to catch it.

"Mythical."

Link was gone once the word had left his lips, leaving Rhett to succumb to the pull of the waking world.

He woke up with a shuddering gasp in his own bed a second later, his head ringing with memories that were already starting to slip away from him. It was almost a shock when he heard his Link stirring on the floor below him - very present and now awake.

"Wha' you dreaming about?" Link asked groggily, his eyes still half closed as he lifted his head.

Rhett held his forehead in an attempt to remember exactly what had happened - but all he had was a select few bits and pieces. It felt as though someone was erasing everything he tried to recall, until it was so foggy he stopped trying. "I can't remember."

"Then shu'up." Link mumbled, throwing a small pillow in Rhett's general direction before rolling over and immediately falling asleep again.

Rhett looked affectionately at what he could see of his friend in the darkness - his mind made up. He didn't remember much of the dream but he did know one thing.

He was going to study engineering and Link was coming with him.


End file.
